Abdi Nor Iftin and I both moved to the United States on the Diversity Visa. Except he came from war-torn Somalia. Call Me American is a fascinating memoir of bravery and growing up in war then moving to America.

Sixteen-year old Essie Hicks is the youngest child of an Evangelical christian family with a hit reality television show. She's also pregnant. The Book of Essie is a beautiful and tragic YA novel by Meghan MacLean Weir.